We stayed here overnight whilst attending a 'Youth Club' reunion !?! and had a great experience. As my husband is an ex-sanddancer (native of South Shields) and I'm Geordie born, we knew the area well and were delighted to be able to take our dog with us. Comfortable and spacious room, warm once we got the heater working. We arrived late so went straight in to dinner. The food is unfortunately mediocre, but the lovely elderly gentleman playing the piano was a great touch - we played "guess the tune" throughout the meal. Staff are excellent, from reception to waiters to maitre-de. Pleasant and friendly.
Breakfast is what you make of it....everything from continental to full monty with all stops in between, and eggs cooked to your liking. The view was just as we'd expected - breathtaking - as only the unspoilt North East coast can be, and would we go back??? Certainly would - and would even put up with the mouth-searing pepper sauce on the pork chop again for the wit and banter of home!!
We finished our trip with a walk up on the leas in an absolute hooley of a wind - and can't wait to come back. Well done Little Haven, and thank you.

This hotel is located right on the beach and the rooms provide an amazing view of the sea on a sunny day. The rooms are spacious and clean and the bathrooms are decent. I was not very impressed with the buffet breakfast spread which was rather basic. South Shields is a small seaside town and hence the prices of rooms here were pretty reasonable given the great location of the hotel and the views it afforded. One would have to shell out a lot more money for a similiar place in a more popular seaside resort. I would definitely stay here again in the future.

Stayed for 3 nights. Arriving on a Sunday evening as a group we had dinner. The food was clearly from packets and heated up, the veg was poor and the 'roast' potatoes were pre-prepared packet potatoes of the 'Aunt Bessie's Roast Potatoes' type. Not a good start. The room was large and spacious with a double bed, tv, dvd player, plenty of space. The downside was that it was not cleaned very well. In the bathroom behind the door there was the remnants of at least 3 past residents hair, not nice! The bath and sink were not very clean also. The shower is of a fixed head type and located about 5 foot above the bath so if you are any taller you have to crouch down to properly wash. There was plenty of hot water which was a plus point. We only ate one more meal and decided to opt for burgers as thought that would be a safe bet but even that was of a very poor quality and not as described on the menu as 'prime beef'. We complained to the receptionist about our experiences, who was apologetic, but the room was still not cleaned to a satisfactory standard before leaving the hotel.

The bedrooms are fitted with small electric panel heaters which only work when you are in the room as all electrics are turned off when you remove your room card. During our stay the outside temperature had dropped to just above freezing so upon entering the room after a night out it was decidedly cold, I would not like to guess what this would be like in the winter months.

Plus points - the reception staff were very friendly and helpful with recommendations of things to do away from the hotel. The hotel is located in a good location and is very spacious inside. Plenty of car parking spaces. Free wi-fi. Residents bar open until 1am.

Strange points - there are many statutes located around the hotel and in the grounds, not clear what the point of these are and frankly they just look cheap and tacky.

The final breakfast summed up the stay, upon arriving at the door of the restaurant area and being asked for room number the waitress had to side step to avoid standing in some chips which had been dropped on the floor the night before. She made no effort to remove them and they were still there at the end of breakfast. If that happens at front of house what happens in the background?

We spoke to some locals and they told us that the hotel used to be of a great standard but that now they would not consider visiting. Unfortunately there is not much choice in South Shields for hotels but the Little Haven certainly needs a kick to get it back on track as with some good management the potential is there. If I was to return to South Shields I would look for another hotel or a B&B instead of staying here again. Choose wisely if you are considering this hotel.

I recently attended a wedding at this hotel and I feel that I need to share my experiences with the public. Obviously a wedding is the most special event in a persons life but seeing inexperienced teenagers being marched into a function room clearly for a briefing of the day, before the doors opened to the guests, was not exactly instilling a confident beginning. The management staff did not have a significant presence during the day, in fact who were the management? Attention to detail was poor, mismatching cutlery and grubby 1970's chairs covered with cheap fabric. Guests waiting to go into the function room had to congregate in the reception/bar area of the hotel which was shared by guests of the hotel or members of the public drinking tea or coffee during their mid-day stroll, not exactly personal or special for the wedding party. Frozen vegetables served for the main meal,tasteless meat and a delay in some people being served their meals resulting in guests starting meals whilst others were still waiting. There was no staff presence during any stage of the meal, except to clear away plates, no smiles or interest in the customers evident. One cup of tea or coffee was offered at the end of the meal but no staff came to offer a refill. The staff had no interaction with the customers and clearly were lacking the training and standards of a good quality establishment. The hotel has a beautiful location and is ideally situated on the beach front at South Shields; it has the potential to be great wedding venue if the management instilled better training and standards to the staff.